Susan Christensenhttp://northsidesun.com/taxonomy/term/260/0
enTandem Approachhttp://northsidesun.com/front-page-slideshow-news/tandem-approach
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://northsidesun.com/sites/northsidesun.com/files/styles/large/public/field/image/hookers.jpg?itok=umdhVdhD" width="576" height="360" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p><strong>Anne and Charles Hooker working together in journey of recovery</strong></p>
<p><em>Special to the Sun</em></p>
<p>Charles and Anne Hooker of Jackson have enjoyed plenty of meals together during their 48 years of marriage.</p>
<p>But this was a first - sitting side by side in wheelchairs while dining at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson. “We hadn’t anticipated this,” Charles said.</p>
<p>Ordinarily, it’s Anne who needs medical care. She has multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and severe scoliosis. But when Charles had a stroke just before Anne underwent shoulder surgery, the two 70-year-olds suddenly needed a setting where both could recoup. And Anne knew just the place.</p>
<p>“I was a patient at Methodist Rehab in 2009 after surgery, and I just remember I got some mighty good exercise,” she said.</p>
<p>“I knew I needed to get better before Anne could get home,” Charles said. “And Anne needed therapy so she could do some things for herself I had normally done - like picking her up and putting her in her wheelchair.”</p>
<p>Although MRC encourages all families to be involved in their loved one’s recovery, Charles and Anne’s situation offered some unique challenges. “I’ve never had a patient whose primary caregiver was in therapy on another floor,” said Chris McGuffey, Anne’s physical therapist during her stay at MRC. So it took constant communication to coordinate the couple’s care between two doctors, two nurse practitioners, five therapists, two case managers and numerous nurses. McGuffey said he primarily focused on helping Anne become more independent. “She had to do more for herself, but she was very weak,” McGuffey said. “After doing one or two transfers from her wheelchair to her bed, she’d be spent. We worked on getting her stronger so it would not be so taxing on her.”</p>
<p>“One of the good things about here is they work you,” Anne said. “Chris has been re-teaching me to stand, pivot and sit to get from my wheelchair to the bed and vice versa.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>MRC occupational therapist Debbie Webb focused on improving function in Anne’s right arm and helping her with self-care strategies. “She did amazingly well for someone with her problems,” Webb said. “Things I thought she would have more problems with, she would figure out ways to do it.”</p>
<p>Charles applied the same persistence to his recovery. And he said the staff helped him believe that he could overcome severe weakness in his left side and problems with his speech. “The spirit here is incredible,” Charles said. “They make you want to do your best.”</p>
<p>See Tandem Approach, Page 8A</p>
<p>Continued from Page One</p>
<p>In speech therapy, Charles learned to speak more clearly and reclaim the cognitive skills necessary for a return to work. “We worked on everything from money management to doing complex divided attention tasks,” said MRC speech therapist Sarah Kendrick. “Going home, I could easily have the tendency to doubt myself,” Charles said. “But Sarah has done a whole lot to bolster my confidence in my cognitive abilities.”</p>
<p>Charles is also more assured of his physical prowess after several hours of occupational and physical therapy each day. “It’s the hardest work I’ve done since basic training,” Charles said. “But the therapists are a whole lot nicer and cuter than my drill sergeants.”</p>
<p>“My purpose was to improve his body awareness and balance and also reduce stress and the risk for another stroke,” Mimms said. “He was super motivated. Being a caretaker and helping Anne manage the home was a huge goal for him.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Charles also wanted to return to his job at Barefield Workplace Solutions and his longtime career in office furniture sales. “We worked on fine motor skills to get him back on the computer,” Mimms said.</p>
<p>Physical therapist Veronica Taylor helped him with his walking ability. And she said they enjoyed some interesting conversations about music and politics as he paced up and down the halls. (He likes to joke that his stroke left him “still leaning to the left and not, heaven forbid, to the right.”)</p>
<p>But Charles’ mind was mostly on his mate, especially in the days before Anne arrived at MRC. “He would joke that I was going to see a lot of PDA (public displays of affection) when his wife got to MRC,” Taylor said. “He made a comment one day that she had no real flaws. He said she never complained, and she was the most beautiful person inside and out.”</p>
<p>Their strong bond meant the couple didn’t want to spend much time apart. So when they finished inpatient therapy at MRC, case manager and registered nurse Sue Crowell worked hard to find a swing bed facility that could accommodate the couple’s desire to share a room. Crowell said the search was complicated by medication issues related to Anne’s MS. But she was determined to keep the former high school sweethearts together. “It was very challenging trying to get their needs taken care of, plus get them in the place they wanted to be,” Crowell said. “But it worked out, and Anne and I both are happy.”</p>
<p>As for Charles, his prevailing emotion is gratitude.</p>
<p>“Anne and our sons and I are eternally grateful,” he said. “Having seen what MRC did for Anne several years ago, we knew how excellent it is. Or really I should say, I thought I knew. But until experiencing the miracles of MRC myself, I must confess I actually had no idea. As far as I’m concerned, it’s without a peer.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><em>(photo) Anne and Charles Hooker share a moment of togetherness during lunch at Methodist Rehabilitation Center</em></strong></p>
<p> </p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-section field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/front-page-slideshow"><span>Front Page Slideshow</span></a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/news"><span>News</span></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-event-calendar-date field-type-datetime field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">Tuesday, August 2, 2016 - 15:15</span></div></div></div>Tue, 02 Aug 2016 20:17:58 +0000wmccain2734 at http://northsidesun.comHelping Othershttp://northsidesun.com/front-page-slideshow-news/helping-others
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://northsidesun.com/sites/northsidesun.com/files/styles/large/public/field/image/Susan%20Christenden%20boyscout1.jpg?itok=zylU6dUt" width="576" height="288" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>Northside scout’s eagle scout project making life easier for MRC patients</p>
<p>As he visited his brother, Chris Green, at Methodist Rehabilitation Center (MRC), Blake Ganzerla never noticed the colorful fabric bags hanging on the backs of patients’ wheelchairs.</p>
<p>The 10-year-old was too focused on helping Chris overcome a traumatic brain injury.</p>
<p>But six years later, the Madison teen is all about keeping the bags in production. As his Eagle Scout project, he launched a drive to supply donated fabric to the volunteers who make the coveted carryalls.</p>
<p>“We were almost out of fabric, so Blake’s project addressed a very critical need,” said Chris Blount, director of MRC’s Wilson Research Foundation. “His leadership has resulted in enough fabric collected for at least a year’s supply - perhaps even several years!”</p>
<p>As they delivered the fabric to MRC, Blake, 15, and his mother, Alice, said they were happy to help the Jackson hospital minister to people recovering from disabling injuries and illness.</p>
<p>“Our whole family wanted to repay Methodist Rehab,” Alice said. “Chris graduated with honors from Brandon High School and is now a senior at Mississippi State University. And I don’t know where he would be if not for MRC. We have a true heartfelt love for this place and the people who work here.”</p>
<p>Blake said he got the idea for the fabric drive when Blount, a fellow member of Madison United Methodist Church, told him how much wheelchair users rely on the bags. “When you’re pushing a wheelchair, it’s hard to hold anything in your lap,” Blount explained. “So years ago, some of our volunteers came up with the idea to hand-sew custom bags that would fit on the back handles of each wheelchair. Our patients absolutely love them.”</p>
<p>Staff members are fans of the bags, too, said MRC occupational therapist Misty Ferguson.</p>
<p>“They make a huge difference in our efficiency and in our patients’ comfort,” she said. “These bags mean that patients come prepared to the therapy gym. They can carry cell phones, books, glasses, therapy tools, water bottles, etc. And these bags also go home with our patients, so that they will have easy access to necessities when they are out in the community.”</p>
<p>To solicit fabrics, Blake put donation boxes at several churches and promoted the project via flyers and on Facebook. “It came slow at first, then we got a lot,” he said. His official estimate of the amount is “too much to count.” “People were just so generous,” said his mother.</p>
<p>The drive also inspired 16 seamstresses from the Jackson Quilters Guild and Christ United Methodist Church to help make the bags. And their involvement couldn’t have come at a better time.</p>
<p>MRC volunteer Ruth Kendrick of Ridgeland recently retired from the duty, after whipping out about 500 bags per year for 16 years. “Mrs. Kendrick has always said that it’s a blessing that she found a way to help so many people,” said Robby Scucchi, volunteer director at MRC. “But I know she appreciates that others have joined the effort.”</p>
<p>“Anybody could have done what I did - you’ve just got to love doing it,” said Kendrick, who was recently presented a volunteer award for her years of service to MRC. “It was a very rewarding thing. I got to meet a lot of nice people.”</p>
<p>It will be a challenge for others to match Kendrick’s output. But Blake is doing his part to keep the bags coming. He even recruited fellow Boy Scouts from Troop 164 to join the assembly line. “They helped me cut out bags so they would be ready to sew,” he said.</p>
<p>Chris and his girlfriend also pitched in, a full-circle moment that made Blake proud to have started the project. “It was nice to pay everyone at MRC back for helping my brother,” he said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Boyscout1jpg. Blake Ganzerla, third from left, has great respect for Methodist Rehabilitation Center, the Jackson hospital that helped his brother recover from a brain injury. So when he learned the center’s volunteers needed materials to make wheelchair bags for patients, the Madison teen launched a fabric drive. Surveying the successful results of his Eagle Scout project are (from left) Steve Hope, vice president of human resources at MRC; Blake’s mother, Alice; and Chris Blount, director of the hospital’s Wilson Research Foundation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wheelchairbagjpg. Patients at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson love the hand-sewn bags that allow them to carry their personal items while they’re pushing their wheelchairs.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kendrick.jpg. Robby Scucchi, right, volunteer director at Methodist Rehabilitation in Jackson, presents Ruth Kendrick of Ridgeland with an award for her many years of service making wheelchair bags for MRC patients.</p>
<p>Kendrick, who recently retired from the volunteer job, is happy to hear her efforts will be continued by a new group of seamstresses who were inspired by Blake Ganzerla’s Eagle Scout project.</p>
<p>(photo) Steve Hope, vice president of human resources at MRC; Blake’s mother, Alice; Blake Ganzerla; and Chris Blount, Wilson Research Foundation director</p>
<p>Northside scout’s eagle scout project making life easier for MRC patients<br />As he visited his brother, Chris Green, at Methodist Rehabilitation Center (MRC), Blake Ganzerla never noticed the colorful fabric bags hanging on the backs of patients’ wheelchairs.<br />The 10-year-old was too focused on helping Chris overcome a traumatic brain injury.<br />But six years later, the Madison teen is all about keeping the bags in production. As his Eagle Scout project, he launched a drive to supply donated fabric to the volunteers who make the coveted carryalls.<br />“We were almost out of fabric, so Blake’s project addressed a very critical need,” said Chris Blount, director of MRC’s Wilson Research Foundation. “His leadership has resulted in enough fabric collected for at least a year’s supply - perhaps even several years!”<br />As they delivered the fabric to MRC, Blake, 15, and his mother, Alice, said they were happy to help the Jackson hospital minister to people recovering from disabling injuries and illness.<br />“Our whole family wanted to repay Methodist Rehab,” Alice said. “Chris graduated with honors from Brandon High School and is now a senior at Mississippi State University. And I don’t know where he would be if not for MRC. We have a true heartfelt love for this place and the people who work here.”</p>
<p>Blake said he got the idea for the fabric drive when Blount, a fellow member of Madison United Methodist Church, told him how much wheelchair users rely on the bags. “When you’re pushing a wheelchair, it’s hard to hold anything in your lap,” Blount explained. “So years ago, some of our volunteers came up with the idea to hand-sew custom bags that would fit on the back handles of each wheelchair. Our patients absolutely love them.”<br />Staff members are fans of the bags, too, said MRC occupational therapist Misty Ferguson.<br />“They make a huge difference in our efficiency and in our patients’ comfort,” she said. “These bags mean that patients come prepared to the therapy gym. They can carry cell phones, books, glasses, therapy tools, water bottles, etc. And these bags also go home with our patients, so that they will have easy access to necessities when they are out in the community.”<br />To solicit fabrics, Blake put donation boxes at several churches and promoted the project via flyers and on Facebook. “It came slow at first, then we got a lot,” he said. His official estimate of the amount is “too much to count.” “People were just so generous,” said his mother.<br />The drive also inspired 16 seamstresses from the Jackson Quilters Guild and Christ United Methodist Church to help make the bags. And their involvement couldn’t have come at a better time.<br />MRC volunteer Ruth Kendrick of Ridgeland recently retired from the duty, after whipping out about 500 bags per year for 16 years. “Mrs. Kendrick has always said that it’s a blessing that she found a way to help so many people,” said Robby Scucchi, volunteer director at MRC. “But I know she appreciates that others have joined the effort.”<br />“Anybody could have done what I did - you’ve just got to love doing it,” said Kendrick, who was recently presented a volunteer award for her years of service to MRC. “It was a very rewarding thing. I got to meet a lot of nice people.”<br />It will be a challenge for others to match Kendrick’s output. But Blake is doing his part to keep the bags coming. He even recruited fellow Boy Scouts from Troop 164 to join the assembly line. “They helped me cut out bags so they would be ready to sew,” he said.<br />Chris and his girlfriend also pitched in, a full-circle moment that made Blake proud to have started the project. “It was nice to pay everyone at MRC back for helping my brother,” he said.</p>
<p>Boyscout1jpg. Blake Ganzerla, third from left, has great respect for Methodist Rehabilitation Center, the Jackson hospital that helped his brother recover from a brain injury. So when he learned the center’s volunteers needed materials to make wheelchair bags for patients, the Madison teen launched a fabric drive. Surveying the successful results of his Eagle Scout project are (from left) Steve Hope, vice president of human resources at MRC; Blake’s mother, Alice; and Chris Blount, director of the hospital’s Wilson Research Foundation.</p>
<p>Wheelchairbagjpg. Patients at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson love the hand-sewn bags that allow them to carry their personal items while they’re pushing their wheelchairs.</p>
<p>Kendrick.jpg. Robby Scucchi, right, volunteer director at Methodist Rehabilitation in Jackson, presents Ruth Kendrick of Ridgeland with an award for her many years of service making wheelchair bags for MRC patients.<br />Kendrick, who recently retired from the volunteer job, is happy to hear her efforts will be continued by a new group of seamstresses who were inspired by Blake Ganzerla’s Eagle Scout project.<br />(photo) Steve Hope, vice president of human resources at MRC; Blake’s mother, Alice; Blake Ganzerla; and Chris Blount, Wilson Research Foundation director</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-section field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/front-page-slideshow"><span>Front Page Slideshow</span></a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/news"><span>News</span></a></div></div></div>Fri, 11 Mar 2016 21:43:23 +0000wmccain1889 at http://northsidesun.com